This seem kind of basic, but it works great for quickly
discerning where your time goes.

Don’t go crazy with too many colors.. that defeats the
purpose.

I put one color for podcast
related items.

I put another color for time
killers I can control, like talking

Clients - Projects - Tasks

If you have clients you’re billing, this is very useful, but
even if you don’t, this is still very usable because it helps when
you’re looking at your reporting.

You can set the time tracking increments to as few as 6 minutes…
that works perfect because it breaks each hour into 10 chunks.
It also forces you to not worry too much about the accuracy.
Don’t get crazy.

You may even want to track in 15 minute blogs. I talk
about this back in Tuesdays episode. Go back and listen if
you missed it.

Manual Edits

Change a task

Split a task and change a
portion of it

Add a task after the
fact

Adjust start or end time -
click

You can manually sort where items are on the front page so the
most frequently used are at the top.

The worst thing is making time tracking a task in an of itself
that needs to be tracked.

These apps, both Hours and Jiffy, make it about as easy as
possible. I love that.

Reminders! So you don’t miss time
tracking

If you don’t have a task being tracked by a specific time each
day, Hours will remind you.

I set mine to remind me every day at 7am and stop reminding me
at 9pm.

It will also remind if I go 15 minutes without a task being
tracked.

You can adjust all of these time.

This has helped me on a couple of occasions.

Of course, if you do forget to track a task, with both Jiffy and
Hours, you can VERY easily go in and manually add it or start it
and adjust the time it should have began.

I’ve done this a couple of times with driving. For some
reason I get very narrow in my focus when I’m heading out
somewhere.

Reporting

The whole reason for tracking your time is so you can go back
and see where your time is being spent and any areas that may
surprise you.

The reporting looks like it’s a little prettier on the Jiffy app
for Android.

Jiffy offers a more graphical reporting, while Hours just gives
you the data

Both of them allow you to look at your time over the past day,
week, month, year, all time or even a custom time window.

Jiffy Tags

Another advantage the Jiffy app has is the ability to use Jiffy
Tags.

These are physical tags which you can attach to certain items
such as your computer screen, maybe your microphone (if you’re
podcasting) and maybe something in the kitchen.

When you touch your phone to a Jiffy Tag, it will automatically
change the task it’s tracking on your phone. Maybe put one in your
car so you don’t forget to track your driving time (something I did
frequently).

Jiffy also offers stickers which won’t change the task on your
phone, but they will remind you to change it. This could help
as well.

Not a Lifetime Commitment

I don’t think you need to track your time for the rest of your
life.

I think a good typical week is probably enough to find any
glaring time wasters in your average day.

Then you can refine your daily schedule, become more aware of
those time wasters and become more efficient.

In a few months, you may want to go back and make sure nothing
else has popped up taking more of your time.

But, basically, once you have it under control, you’re going to
be done with this app.

Just like tracking your food, it’s a lot about awareness and
making changes based on that data.

I Can’t Believe You Didn’t Mention TOGGL!

I know… if you use Toggl, you’re outraged I didn’t mention
it.

Honestly, I didn’t really dig into but I do plan on giving it a
try at some point.

Toggle looks great because it is a cross platform time tracker
which allows you to start tracking on one device and stop tracking
on another. This could come in VERY handy in some work
environments.

Toggl also works great with team environments. It’s really
meant for billable hours on projects.

You may have several team members working on one project and
they all need to account for their time.

You can also use it just to make sure you’re pricing your
services properly. Even if you’re not billing per hour.

It’s available for iOs, Android, Windows, Mac, and even
Linux.

It will integrate with project management software like Trello
or Asana.

It’s free for teams up to 5 people and unlimited
projects.

If you want the ability to put in billable rates for each
project or task,, or you need bigger team sizes, you’ll need to go
up to the Pro version which is $5 per user.

Don’t COMPLICATE THIGNS

The last think you want to do is complicate this process.
It shouldn’t become a burden.

Don’t stress if you don’t have the tracking down to the exact
minute.

Also, don’t overanalyze your time or track time for too
long.

Unless you’re required to track time for billing, this is going
to be a short lived project for most people.

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About the Podcast

This show will help you find abundant success in your personal as well as business life. You'll be lead towards greater achievement in your physical well-being, accomplishments in your business or career, and true joy in your relationships, by focusing on your attitude and mindset.
Your host, P. Desmond Adams will show you how to "change the world around you by changing the world within you." Desmond will teach you how to see all of life's experiences as beneficial to your whole being, discover how to be steady and consistent in your efforts so you can finally finish what you started, increase what you accomplish in life with the same amount of time and effort, and understand the greater purpose of your existence and how that will bring an unimagined peace within.
You'll benefit from over 30 years of study Desmond has done through the teachings of personal development and self-help teachers such as Tony Robbins, Napoleon Hill, Gregg Braden, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Dr. Wayne Dyer, Wallace Wattles, Jack Canfield, Ernest Holmes, Rhonda Byrne and the one who finally helped Desmond discover the secret to the Law of Attraction, Charles F. Haanel.